James Mitchell Ashley represented northwest Ohio in the United States House of Representatives
from 1858 to 1868. A resident of Toledo, Ashley was a staunch opponent of slavery
and an advocate for workers' rights and equal rights for freed slaves. In Congress,
Ashley led the fight to end slavery in the District of Columbia and U.S. territories
and proposed the first Reconstruction measure. He was also the first to propose amending
the Constitution to abolish slavery. At the side of President Abraham Lincoln, Ashley
led the fight to approve the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary
servitude.

Ashley was an important figure not only in our nation's history, but also in the history
of Toledo and the state of Ohio. In the 1840s and 1850s, Ohio was a hotbed of anti-slavery
activism. Many leaders of the political anti-slavery movement were from Ohio, including
prominent figures in the American Anti-Slavery Association and the Liberty Party.
Those leaders developed a theory of rights that influenced Ashley and his allies in
the Reconstruction Congress.

Professor Zietlow is a leading expert on constitutional theory. She teaches in the
areas of Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, and Constitutional Litigation. Zietlow
holds degrees from Barnard College (BA) and Yale University (JD). In 2012, she received
The University of Toledo Outstanding Faculty Research Award.

Free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Book sales and signing
to follow.

McQuade Law Auditorium is within the Law Center, which is located at 1825 West Rocket
Drive (immediately inside the UT West Entrance off Secor Road and south of Bancroft
Street). Parking is available in Parking Area 12, the lot adjacent to the law school, with no ticketing except for metered, reserved
or handicap spaces.